From the Sky
by coopers muse
Summary: The war has started, Drachma comes. Skyships rain bombs on Amestris and two Alchemists will stop it. But when the mission goes drastically wrong a new plot is discovered…one far closer to home. Who is the real enemy?/eventually EdxRoy/AU
1. Return to Earth

_A/N: _Full Summary:

Death rains down from the sky as war breaks loose. Drachma is battering at Amestris's defences-and then the skyships come. Towns are razed to the ground, hundreds die- and all the while the destruction draws closer, and closer.

Central is their target, if it falls - all is lost.

Two Alchemists are sent to destroy the source of the devastation. But when the mission goes drastically wrong a new plot is discovered…one far closer to home.

War with Drachma, Amestris can handle…but war with itself//eventually EdxRoy//

Please R n R, hope ya like!

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**Chapter One: Return to Earth**

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Time seemed to slow.

Everything began to fall in slow motion, hair streaming almost softly behind heads as eyes streamed. Glistening tears hovered behind them, glowing as a setting sun caught and held the crystalline light. It would have all been beautiful…if they hadn't been plummeting to their death.

War ships where one thing. Amestris was a landlocked country so they really didn't have to worry about them. But then Drachma created the air ships…it was war on wings, and with them the bombs began to fall.

There was no stopping them. Until the Alchemists came up with the gliders.

Oh, they had been brilliant, all sleek lines and lightweight metal, and just three arrays controlled them: right, left, and acceleration. And the rest had been distributing the alchemists' weight for up and down…the simplicity of affecting the craft and not the winds themselves is what made it so effective. The one mistake countless others had made in the past… and it all worked because of the control array etched across the wings. One simple array that made it all feather light.

They had worked perfectly. Absolutely perfectly, and with them, the chosen two alchemists had been able to sore up like birds and sneak into the enemies war ships that sailed on clouds instead of seas.

Of course the nation had sent the Flame and Full Metal alchemist's, it was just common sense when the gliders where created by Full Metal and his brother, and explosions where the Flames specialty. But common sense didn't always mean the choice was a smart one.

Everything had gone off without a hitch, five ships had been taken down, and only one remained flying.

Almost the whole fleet-taken out one by one as the two swooped between their ranks and snuck aboard each of them in turn. They crept through the labyrinth of corridors, taking out guards, placing arrays and then took off-a single 'snap' finishing the job.

The sky was red with flames, the sun scarlet with smoke. The fallen enemy ships littering the countryside behind them.

There had only been one left, steadily steaming towards Central, its deadly cargo just waiting to be dropped. Propellers were spinning madly at double pace-knowing that it was the last of its fleet-trying vainly to outrun the dangerous pair.

It had been easy to catch the fleeing skyship, the gliders where far superior when it came to speed.

Everything was in place, every array drawn and in position. Boilers where marked. Stock rooms, armouries and balloon walls filled with hydrogen-all marred by Amestris's explosive joint arrays.

All the Flame alchemist had needed to do was click.

A small, sharp sound and they would have disposed of the biggest threat to Amestris. One snap….just one.

But it had been a gunshot that sounded when the time came. And with that, they where both dead. The Flame alchemist had fallen to the ground without a sound at all, his gloves slowly turning crimson beneath him as his chest rose and fell raggedly…and then stopped.

One bullet had taken down two winged birds.

Edward had fallen to his knees with a yell, the mission forgotten as Mustang bled in his arms. The guards had had the audacity to laugh at him. _LAUGH!_

Roy Mustang was dead…and if he wasn't dead yet, he was on the fast road to dying.

Ed had leapt to his feet and then at the guard, blind with rage, fury and hurt. His mind had been left at its knees beside the Colonel and the only thing spurring his enraged body on was alchemy, metal and a rasping painful breath that tore from his lungs. One by one he cut the guards down, all with the blade on his arm so he could say that the murderers blood was truly on his hands. Grating the length of metal against the hull of the ship he dragged out sparks. He was almost blinded with rage as he finished what the Flame alchemist hadn't had the chance too. Ed fell back to his knees and clasped Roy in his arms as the air ship went up in a ball of flame.

Funny how ironic the world was, Ed thought dully as the world blew apart around him, the smell of burning flesh arid in his nose. The Colonel held tightly in his arms.

The very sky itself seemed like it was one fire, almost in tribute to the two as they fell.

And then he realised he was _falling_, he wasn't **dead**. Edward really hadn't expected to live though the explosion, usually they where flying away when detonation came about. But somehow they both had escaped the twisted metal that was falling like rain around them.

For a moment Ed worried about the village below and the wreckage that could destroy people and houses…even when the blasted warships had been destroyed, it was going to take more lives anyway.

And then the full situation came back to him. He was falling, a dead or dying Mustang in his arms, from 30 thousand feet.

And he couldn't breathe.

The air was going too fast, slipping over his face without letting him breath any of it in. he was gasping, crying, shaking, hands clutching frantically at his commander…hands slick with blood.

The roaring wind in his ears was almost as loud as his frenzied heartbeat. His mind was frozen in place, and no matter how heard he tried; he couldn't make it thaw any faster.

Falling.

Falling.

Falling…

The glider. He still had part of his strapped to his back. But the wings themselves were back on what was left of the ship, most likely a few hundred feet below him…hidden somewhere in the tangled wreckage.

If he could let go of Mustang for a second he could clap his hands and use what was left of the debris around him to make another set of wings…or at least activate the lesser arrays on his back and control his fall somewhat.

But he couldn't let go of Mustang, what if he couldn't catch him again?

But what choice did he have? If there was any chance that the Colonel was still alive-his throat tightened uncontrollable as he contemplated the idea of holding a corpse so close- he had to make sure they landed in one piece first.

And so Edward forced his hands to release the death grip he held in Mustangs' uniform and watch him fall away, before his mind finally kicked back in and he flipped in the air. With his back to the ground, air gushed into his thirsty lungs. His hands worked on their own accords as array after array formed in his head, all intricacies and lines perfectly composed and clapped his hands, feeling the alchemy tingle up his arm, and meld between his hands, drawing the metal towards himself and catching it, moulding it, shaping it as quickly as his fumbling hands would allow.

And as he did it all he knew Mustang was falling further and further away from himself, most likely suffocating or turning uncontrollably …he pushed the thought aside and focused, trying to create something that had taken him and Al weeks to finish, in seconds.

As he inscribed the last array into the irregular wing he spun around in mid air again, taking as big a lungful as he could first. Just in case he didn't get another.

Edward pushed his limbs in as tightly as possible to his sides, arrowing himself down towards the Colonels gently tumbling form.

Vertigo made his head spin as he shot forward, cutting though the air like his blade had a mans chest.

And suddenly Mustang collided with his chest and his automail arm had snaked around him, holding him so tightly he was sure he heard a rib break. _No time to worry about that_, he realised as he activated one last array on his makeshift wings, connecting it firmly with the brace that he still wore on his back.

A moment of horrible vibration made him close his eyes, the air current zooming across the wings uneven surface and threatening to tear it apart. Wrapping his other arm around Roy he prayed. He actually _prayed_ to what ever god would listen, that the wings could hold out under twice the weight it was supposed to hold, and that the arrays he'd placed would work.

Al was the one who came up with the wings; he thought frantically. Al had created all the theory, all the calculations and worked out the fiddley details. Ed had mainly put them together, having always found the Alchemy itself to come more naturally, adding ideas and tweaking existing ones where he could. And even then, it had taken weeks to get the pair of gliders perfect-each individually made to match their pilots- compensating for different weights, heights and-

A horrendous _groan_ of metal tearing against metal filled his ears and sent shivers down his ridged spin. The wings almost gave out.

And then the sound stopped and he realised that…that

His panicky thoughts stalled. Everything stopped.

It was working.

They where slowing down, their decent was evening out

Edward began to laugh, thick hysterical laughter that tore at his tender throat. It had worked. They weren't going to die-but that thought sobered his mood very quickly. Sure, maybe he wasn't going to die…but what about the Colonel?

Edward allowed his metal arm to lock into position to free his left arm, nothing could make him let go.

With fingers numb from the icy wind Ed fumbled at Mustang's throat, trying to find a pulse now that he had a moment to try. Nothing. Not even a soft fluttering. Ed felt like his heart was being torn to shreds and then each piece burnt individually. Colonel Roy Mustang could **NOT** be dead. Not after such a successful mission! Not from one lousy bullet from some untrained guard!

His fingers where numb…maybe the steady pulse was there, just below the surface, even and rhythmic. Yes, that was it, Mustang wasn't dead, it was just his fingers that were numb. Yes…

He was so cold though…_but so am I! That doesn't mean anything!_

The ground was beginning to take on definition, he could see the trees and fences and houses in the distance. Touching an array on the strap across his shoulder the wings turned, angling themselves towards the village, and soon that too became defined. He could see a farmer a good thirty feet below him.

As the gliders shadow passed over him he looked up in amazement, dropped his plough in fright and wiping off his hat better a better view. Normally Edward would have smiled and waved, showing off the Elric born creation strapped to his back with a loop or something equally impressive. But at that moment the Colonel was the only thing being successfully processed in his mind.

"_**PLEASE!**__ I NEED A __**DOCTOR**_!" he yelled, feeling a twinge of self disgust at the frantic and almost–no, _completely_ hysterical note in his voice.

For a moment the farmer just stood there, jaw agape before Ed saw his eyes focus on Mustangs uniform, and his own. And then the man actually saluted, and ran off, much faster than Edward would have thought possible for such an elderly looking man.

But Ed didn't have anytime to ponder that, he touched the left array again and kept heading towards the town. All he needed to do now was find somewhere to land, a nice stretch of road, or maybe that field of whatever vegetable over there…and then his heart wrenched with the metal above his head.

The two alchemists dropped two feet in two seconds, Ed leaving his stomach above him.

The wings were about to give out.

Hoping beyond hope that the glider would hold out for a few more moments, Ed angled himself at as steep an angle that was possible, that was safe, that was _survivable. _The twisting of metal was thick in his ears, as he willed they move faster, even as he pressed his hand to the centre array which did just that…

"COME ON! COME ON! ALMOST THERE!" he yelled, eyes wide as he gauged they where still at least twelve feet up- he was sure he could handle that far a drop…but Roy? In the condition he was in? The still alive and breathing condition that he HAD to be in?

But for whatever reason-or maybe someone was out there just wanted to spite Edward-the wings tore off from the straps that restrained them, and then they plummeted through the air.

Ed closed his eyes and braced himself for impact, having already turned in mid air so he was the first to hit the ground. His arms tightened around Mustang momentarily before together, they finally returned to earth.

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Muhahahah. A fun ending no? the second chapter is written! i just need to get it edited/read through. if Anyone is interested in this please contact me. Oh, and the title is a work in progress an may/will change. That was immensely fun to write 

Reviews make everything better.

hope ya liked!

Cooper


	2. A Conscious Thought

**From the Sky**

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Disclaimer: i don't own Fma-why would i be on if i did!?

A/N: Another chapter if anyones interested fun to write

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**Chapter Two: A Conscious Thought

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Pain. A dull ache droning behind his eyes…a sharper pain in his flesh leg… a deeper pain in his chest.

Slowly, golden eyes flickered open, only to quickly squeeze shut as blinding light made his brain cuss…_or did I say that aloud?_

"He's awake! Melokii! He's awake!" a young voice shrilled close to his ear. Ed winced again, curling up on his side as he clutched gently at his throbbing head. Now that he was semi conscious, he realised that _EVERYTHING_ hurt.

He must have groaned because suddenly a small, soft hand was holding his wrist, taking his pulse…pulse…what about that was so important? There was definitely something about that that he needed to know…to remember…_what is it dammit?!_-

"Hey, calm down, your heart rate is going everywhere…hello? Are you listening to me? You need to calm down"- but Ed wasn't listening. Something very important that he NEEDED to be concentrating on right NOW was just at the edge of his mind. Teetering, waiting for it to fall into his memory…

"Melokii! He won't calm down. I think he's having a panic attack or something"

Attack- Yes, they were attacked on the airship- Ed's eyes flew open and he sat bolt upright, his heart in his mouth and was beating frantically as he felt his mind shatter and reform.

"_**ROY!?**_ WHERE IS HE?!" he yelled, snatching his arm away from the girl and flinging his feet to the floor.

"YOU'RE NOT TO GET OUT OF THAT BED MISTER!" a older female voice yelled, but Ed paid it no heed as he pushed himself off the mattress onto his own–_one foot?!_

With a startled yelp Edward fell to the ground. It was then that he acknowledged the cast around his left leg, and the sharp pain he had just doubled by standing on. And it was a second later that he saw the mangled remains of his automail port, and his missing metal leg. Oh, Winry was going to kill him.

But, Edward Elric was never one to let one leg get the better of him, why should two be any different? -And right now the only thing that mattered was that he saw Mustang-Ed felt his heart thunder in his chest again at the thought of the raven hair man. If he was dead-_no! He isn't dead, he was just cold like I was, my fingers were numb, that's it! _No one_ is dead!_ Ed began to crawl, arm over arm, under the high bed and towards the door, ignoring the amused squeak from the younger girl as he dragged himself past her bare feet.

He heard a muttering sigh from the older woman but didn't look up, determined on his set path past her sandaled feet. _Roy's going to be perfectly fine, in the next room, pale as always, drawn maybe, but fine, sitting up in his bed looking bored and then he'll smirk as he sees me and he'll make some crack about me being short enough as it is and that I should get up off the floor. That's' what's going to happen-he's going to be fine! Perfectly fine!_

"Young Man. Stop this; all you're going to do is damage yourself even more" he heard the woman say before large calloused hands were under his arms and lifting him up like a child.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! PUT ME DOWN! I HAVE TO SEE** MUSTANG**! WHERE IS HE? GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME!" he yelled, swinging the stump of his usually metal leg at her. Ed glared at the old sturdily built woman, his heart still running frantically around in his chest.

She looked of Xing decent. And perhaps sixty, fifty at the least, with steal grey hair dappled with white and the remnants of black. Her eyes where flinty and colourless, but she had smile lines around them, despite her hard face.

"You're not seeing _anyone_ until I say so!" she said firmly before dumping him back onto the bed. Yes, his body tensed up in pain, some dull and others sharp, but as before, he ignored the physical discomfort. It didn't matter.

Some distant rational part of his mind told him he was being an idiot, and should do as he was told. He told the little rational voice to go poo itself because HE DIDN'T KNOW WHERE MUSTANG WAS!

He set the big woman with his hardest glare, letting some of his frantic worry seep into the gaze for good measure. If forsaking his dignity meant he could see Mustang…

"Where. Is. Mustang?" he demanded icily.

The little girl, ten or eleven at the most, began to fidget with her skirt, jumping lightly from foot to foot as she gnawed at her lip. Her eyes kept flicking up to his before darting away.

"So that's his name then. The man you came here with?" the older woman asked. Edward looked back to her, and something in her eyes made his heart run cold.

The woman's gaze softened somewhat as she took in his dying gaze.

"The young man, Mustang, was only declared dead for-"

Ed must have yelled something because both women in the room jumped away from him; his metal hand was clenched so tightly in the blankets around him that they sunk into the mattress as well, destroying both. His pupils where nothing but pinpricks surrounded by dulling gold.

_No no no no no no no no no._ The two of them had just destroyed one of the biggest threats Amestris had ever faced. They had FLOWN up to each ship and snuck on board every one-_ No no no no no no no no no no no no no- _the Flame alchemist had been shot before! That couldn't kill him! They had FALLEN over _thirty thousand __**feet**_ **DAMMIT!** MUSTANG COULDN'T BE _**DEAD!**_

He noted a small sharp pain in his flesh arm, and looking down he saw that the older woman had given him a shot of something…something that was making his heartbeat quit its frantic racing, and that made his eyes heavy…_sedative_ a small, slurring part of his mind told him, while the other part slowly shut down, the part that couldn't deal with the fact that…that…no…no…no…

…

"That's just a sedative mister. If you hadn't lost it, you would have heard the second part of what I had to say. Are you listening now?" the woman asked, an amused glare mixing with detached worry.

Ed felt his remaining limbs grow sluggish, and felt smaller hands push him back into a large soft pillow that enveloped him with a homely smell that reminded him of Pinako. He forced his heavy head to nod, even as his mind continued its steady shut down.

"Good." The woman said as she sat on the corner on his head and patted his metal hand.

"Now, what I was saying was that your friend was officially declared dead"- Ed winced at the words and he heard the woman sigh -"for five minuets"

Edwards' eyes snapped back open despite the lethargic liquid still coursing through his veins.

"Five? Five? You mean-"

The woman smiled.

"We managed to revive the poor fellow. What where the two of you up to? I don't suppose you're responsible for that skyship that's lying in Bruce Maddocks potato field?"

Ed let himself laugh, and a second later blank, warm darkness claimed and soothed his mind.

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Am i cruel? Poor Ed-jumping to conclusions like that...not that he'll be 'jumping' anytime soon. he he he

Hope ya liked

Reviews are always nice!

Cooper


	3. Appearances

**From the Sky**

Disclaimer: don't own fma or even any of the merchandise! :'(

A/N: please R&R, and sorry if its a bit rough, i don't have an editer at present time.

**Chapter Three: Appearances **

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Melokii rubbed the bridge of her nose as she watched Abby tuck the young blond man in. She'd been so surprised that first night when he had been brought in with the other, Roy? Or was it Mustang? Perhaps both?..._I'm sure I've heard that name before._

And all those Skyships littering the countryside. They had brought them _all_ down? Therser had lived in constant fear of the floating menaces, just waiting for one of them to dump their deadly load.

The fact that the two had literally fallen out of the sky surprisingly hadn't fazed her.

Once, right in the middle of the street, a man had crawled out of a manhole after all. The town of Therser seemed to attract strange, injured people. She'd treated him too, the poor dear, having to cope with such a large scar on his face…

No, what had surprised Melokii was the fact that a man, who looked like he could only have been called as much for a few months, had two sets of automail… old, worn automail that had seen a fair amount of use if the dings where anything to go buy.

And to top it all off, both of the men where in the Military and where State Alchemist's to boot!

He had looked so young, all blond hair and soft lines. But on closer inspection she realised that all of that softness was fading, just beginning to reveal straight planes in his face and harder, harsher lines around his eyes. As young as he may be, Melokii had a feeling that this man had never had the chance to be a boy.

His injuries had been quite straightforward, fractured flesh leg, shattered metal one. Bruised ribs, and lacerations, nothing some small stitches and care couldn't fix. Overall, she was amazed he had come out as well as he had!

The auto mail leg on the other hand… Therser was a small town, and the closest automail engineer was in Central. They had a local handy man, but Melokii wouldn't trust something the blond man so obviously relied on to the tinkerers dependable, but _curious_ hands.

The older man, Roy Mustang, was another story.

He'd been dead when she'd finally arrived, running as fast as her old legs would allow. If old Bruce hadn't noticed the two gliding in, this Mustang character wouldn't have had a chance.

The old farmer was stone deaf, apparently he only noticed something was different when the shadow of whatever the two military men were flying with had passed over his head. He hadn't even noticed the wreck of the skyship crashing to the ground only one field over. Bruce had babbled about how one of the flying men had yelled something at him, and how one or both of them where bleeding heavily.

The mayor had laughed outright at him, but Melokii had known Bruce before he had lost his hearing in the army, an explosive of some sort detonating too close, she had been the one who had helped fix him up when the Military had sent him home, and she knew he didn't lie about things like this… unless he'd spent his evening in the local bar. No, this was all too far fetched for him to have made up while sober.

So she had grabbed her bag of medical bits, grabbed the hand of her niece, Abby, and dragged her out to where Bruce had told them he had seen the two men last.

The rest had past in a blurr, as other citizens of Therser had shown up and helped her revive the elder man, and finally stop the flow of blood streaming from both his back and front. The remains of whatever they had flown in by was a mere tangle of twisted metal over to one side.

The older, more highly ranked officer judging form the stripes and stars adorning his uniform, had somehow avoided breaking anything (had the blond had a part in that?). And yet a strange bruise encircled his chest, a right nasty one at that. But that had been the least of his worries.

He'd lost so much blood he was even paler then her niece, whose white hair and red eyes always made travellers stare. That, mixed with the blue tinge staining his lips from either cold or lack of air… it hadn't spelt anything good for him at all.

But either he was extremely stubborn, or lucky. Because with Abby's help, Melokii had gotten the man breathing again, and had restarted his heart. But until he woke up, the doctor had no way of telling if this had been done in time...or if they had been too late.

Another stroke of luck had been the bullet wound itself. A nice clean shot that had gone straight though him-just missing the side of his lung. But Meloki had fixed that up too. She'd never seen a gunshot wound so well placed. Just inches right or left and…well, he wouldn't have had to worry about his fall.

Back in the present, Melokii looked back at the younger man lying before her, a bit too pale under his tanned skin for her liking, but still perfectly fine…if a bit rambunctious when he was awake. She smothered a chuckled as she patted his metal hand again, getting up.

Even with one broken leg, and one missing, the man had tried to escape from his room. That didn't usually start happening until her patients where conscious enough to realise she would mother them until they had eaten enough soup to burst each day, and were warm in hand knitted jumpers…

_And thinking of jumpers…i wonder if he would look good in blue?_

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hope ya liked! please review!


	4. Questions

**From the Sky**

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Disclaimer: I don't own fma, but I _do _own Melokii and Abby, and a few delightful FMA dvds

A/N: heya, sorry for such a long wait, I haven't been writing for a while, but heres another chapter. Please excuse some mistakes, for this has not yet been fully edited. Hope you like! PLEASE R AND R

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**Chapter Four: Questions**

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When Ed woke up the second time, it was a much different experience. For one, his head wasn't tearing itself apart with worry, _always a reassuring thought_, and the dull pains and aches still riddling his body weren't as bad either.

Though his head was still pounding; which frankly _wasn't_ as nice.

Opening his eyes again, he had much the same reaction as last time; letting out a muffled curse and whishing someone had the sense of mind to close the curtains.

"You're awake again. Do you always wake up cussing? Or is it only when you don't have your other leg? Does it hurt getting automail? Why did you fall out of the sky? You must have flown to get up their after all, why didn't you just fly back down? Did THAT hurt?" a small voice hummed by his ear and Ed almost swore again. Little kids sometime couldn't help but be annoying could they?

"Yes, the majority of the time, no, hell yes, gravity, tried too, can't remember" he muttered into his pillow, answering each question in turn without opening his eyes. The pounding in his head was really beginning to get on his nerves. Even his own droning voice made it hurt.

"Melokii says you have to eat this" the voice suddenly insisted, and it was then that Ed recognised the thick, savoury smell of soup permeating the room.

And with that he was awake, and eating as his stomach growled.

Looking up as he ate, Eds eyes widened ever so slightly as he really looked at the little girl for the first time.

Her hair was pure white, her eyes a dull pink, and every one of her lashes looking like it was coated with ice, almost blending in with her pale, pale skin.

She was twisting at her skirt again, bitting her lip as she darted fugitive glances at him. He sighed and set the bowl down despite his stomachs complaint.

"Whatever it is, ask" he said and she suddenly jumped onto his bed, clutching at his shoulder with dainty white fingers and wide eyes, a small smile growing on her face as her eyes brightened.

"You're Fullmetal aren't you?"

Ed blinked, had he introduced himself before? No, he'd been too busy trying to get out of the room to distract himself with petty things like introductions…

"How do you know that?" he asked, and she beamed, her small face lighting up as she leant back looking satisfied.

"The other man's been saying your name in his sleep" she said proudly "Melokii hasn't heard, he says it real quiet like, but I noticed. So you're him? Why would he say your name?"

Relief flooded his system and he sunk back into the pillows behind him. _If he's saying my name that means he remembers something, which hopefully shows that his memory isn't damaged, or at least not severely. Since he's known me for ten years I can reasonably assume that his long term recollection is fine, and, though not as surely, his recent memories swell. And in that case there's a high probability that the rest of his mind is in working order… _but this reassuring thought lead to another, less positive one.

_If he's fine that means he'll be yelling at me for something or another that I did wrong as soon as he wakes up. And that means the 'short' cracks aren't far behind…you'd think that the few inches I'd gained would mean __**something **__to the man, not everyone is a giant! And even _he_ isn't the tallest of people! Hues is taller then him! And Armstrong…though Armstrong is taller then everyone… but still! I'm twenty-bloody-one after all! I've grown!...just not as much as most people. _

A small blush stained his cheeks at the thought. Then horror wiped his face clean. _I as good as called myself 'short'! What the hell is wrong with me!?_

The girl looked at his expression and nodded as if expecting it.

_What had she been saying again?_

"I thought so. Don't worry I won't tell anyone, it's your business. But I'd be more careful if I was you. Some people don't agree with it, I don't know why. But with the way you where acting when you woke up before, it was pretty obvious …I'm pretty sure Melokii will notice soon, if she hasn't already. I still don't understand why some people around here don't like it, I mean, my big brother likes men, that's why I noticed, he's at university now. When we were at home we'd talk about cute guys we saw at the pictures whenever we got the chance to go see one, he used to take me to central once a month. I can't wait till he gets back; he said he was going to bring me a present home."

The girls' constant flow of words were beginning to make Eds head spin. _The sedatives must still be in effect_ he thought groggily because it took a few moments to digest- but suddenly their meaning clicked. Ed gaped as he grasped the girls slim shoulders-

"_What?!_ No it's not like that!" he insisted, his rebuff coming out in a strange half hiss half shrike (definitely a few octaves too high for his liking). Yet even as he said so, a small voice in the back of his mind slunk out of the shadows he always vehemently ignored.

But the tiny thought had claws as it whispered 'but you wish it was'.

Growling at the voice silently, Edward banished it back into the denial he'd buried it under. He was twenty one-he reassured himself-yet those pesky teenage hormones still seemed to be in effect. Turned on by anything that has two legs, it was normal for teens-that's all, the hormones just hadn't seemed to notice he wasn't a teenager anymore. Must be linked to his height-they was obviously confused-

_Wait!? That's __**twice **__I've insinuated I'm short?!_ But for once, he pushed the fact aside and focused on the bigger fiasco at hand.

"He's my commanding officer, we were the ones who blew up those skyships; he's probably just worried about his subordinate like I was about my commander. He was bloody shot in front of me! I have the right to be worried. And then we went and fell a few thousand feet! I for one was concerned. That's **all**" Ed told the girl, wishing his erratic heart would slow down. And while his still sluggish mind was focusing on that, he wished that the heated feeling rising in his cheeks would go away as well, and his singular sweaty palm would stop making such a fuss. If only so his words would seem less forced.

_Not that their forced to begin with! I just have the jitters that's all! Its' probably the sedative the woman gave me earlier! Yes the sedative is causing a bad reaction! Why else would my breath be wheezing eh? Or my hands shaking? Yes! I'm allergic! Should tell them about that. What's this girl going on about!? No, the Colonel is just my boss, nothing more, why would he be anything else? No, I'm his subordinate! And-he-he got _shot! _I was just worried! I'm worried because he's in command-and-and-the _Paper work_! Think of the paperwork if he'd gone and died! Mountains and mountains of paperwork! And Hawkeye would have to stand guard to make sure I finish it all! But she wouldn't be able to see me behind all the piles of paperwork!-WHAT THE HELL!?-THAT'S __**THREE**__ TIMES NOW!- Shots would go everywhere! Paper torn to shreds on all sides! All that precious paper wasted because I would be using the hefty stacks as protective barriers! Yes the paperwork would landslide-I'd be crushed! And shredded by paper cuts! No one would be able to tell my remains apart from Hawkeyes' -who tragically got caught in the fatal slide with me! All but my automail and her pistol would remain! Forget falling four thousand feet! DEATH BY PAPERWORK!_

Hysterical laughter tried to bubble from his throat but Ed managed to swallow it back thickly.

_It was the Paperwork's fault._

_**The Paperwork!**_

The Girl, _Abby wasn't it?_, sat back. The expression on her face slightly worried…

_Wait…did I say that out loud?_

"Do I have to call Melokii again? I think you have to calm down Mister" she said, edging back on the corner of the bed.

_But the __**allergy**__?! I'll get shakes and sweats and the paperwork and little girls will be able to cause panic attacks if I get another shot! And then what will that say at my funeral? Two solitary –wait if there's __**two**__ it isn't __**solitary**__!- pieces of automail in a depressingly small coffin as everyone gathers around and weeps at the tragedy that has befallen me! All because of the paperwork and the paperslide! But the tombstone-also depressingly small- would proclaim 'HERE LIES EDWARD ELRIC- HIS TRAGIC DEATH CAUSED BY PAPERWORK AND THE SILLY OLD WOMAN WITH THE SEDATIVES!' everyone would cry-Al's armour echoing sadly! But he'd kick my small tombstone at the end too! Cursing all Paperwork and the horrible deaths it can cause! And then he will climb out of his old suit of armour-why was he back in there to begin with? We got his body back three years ago!?- and vow to rally against all things paper-y and boycott all things work-y in my ever lasting memory! But I'll still be remembered as short! The ever lasting CURSE! But good will come from my death! All short people will revolt against the word 'short' and all words related to it in anyway or form-and together the short people of the world will have all of theses dastardly words removed from the dictionary because-_

_Ow._

A sharp prick of pain flashed from the crook of his flesh arm, and dazedly Edward looked over to see the silly old woman was back, jabbing another ruddy syringe into his arm.

She was frowning and clucking her tongue, and as the room went dark-his mind began to shut down again, his eyes_ yearning _to stay closed with a deep, slow, breath- he heard the woman turn to the little girl, stubby hands resting on her large hips.

"What did you do to get him into such a state missy?"

And the girls small, bashful reply of

"nuff'in…why was he going on about paperwork?"

"Every adults' nightmare dear, every adults nightmare"

Before everything went dark, Edward had to agree.

* * *

So there ya are, a dash of EdRoy for flavour, and a little bit of Abby for tact…or lack there of hope ya liked it was fun to write Ed's panic attack reviews always appreciated

Cooper


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